Sure. We'll do one tomorrow, time permitting. RMAF is coming up and we're building a lot more phones this week.

If can be demonstrated, where would be the cut off on adjusting the screw all the way out without scratching the cup. That'll be very helpful as well due to some of us still don't know L from R and R from L haha j/k

Some impressions. I used the AD on a variety of amps in my collection (Lehmann Audio BCL, Beyer A1, Wyred4Sound uDAC-HD (running in Class A), Bryston BHA-1 (running in balanced mode), & Musical Fidelity M1 HPA & X-Can v8 (tube amp). The best paring was the Bryston so I'm gonna base my impressions on that combo.

Fit on the AD is critical to achieve the optimum performance so read the included users guide. :)

- The AD sounds wide with very precise imaging. The spot on imaging may cause you to think your other headphones are defective. That's the case with my D7000.

- Midrange on the AD is rich, full-bodied, textured, natural, and very engaging without being lush. Male and female vocals gave a sense of intimacy.

- Bass is not thunderous, but it's well defined and goes low.... You feel it more than being in your face, like a well designed three-way high-end speaker ratter than a two-way sub sat.

The AD is transparent so the better the gear chain, the more you'll hear. My best closed back headphone is the Denon D7000 and the AD is more enjoyable in both sound and comfort. I wish I had the Fostex TH900 here to compare because I think the Alpha Dog will give it a run for the money. More impressions to come.

Alpha Dog Users Guide

Ignore this, unless you want to get the most out of your new phones…

Know Your Alpha Dog!

The Alpha Dog is bred for audiophile fun. It’s designed to deliver the performance of industry-leading open-backed headphones with the isolation of a fully closed headphone, making it the first headphone that delivers exceptional isolation yet has a sound that is truly “open.”

To make the Alpha Dogs rock for you, you’ll want to FIT and CARE for them.

First…

Never play your phones loud enough or loud and long enough to make your ears ring. We want you to enjoy the phone for years to come, so save your hearing!

The Alpha Dogs are painted with top end auto paint. Use the velvet bag to transport the phones. To protect the finish we suggest you detach the cables or let the plugs dangle outside the velvet bag when traveling.

Yeah, we KNOW you can put headphones on…

…but if your Alpha Dog isn’t on right you might really reduce the bass. The Alpha Dog is designed to have very extended, very flat bass.

If you feel like there is no deep bass or sub-bass, check the following:

Check to make sure the risers are not too short. Really! This is the most common mistake people make because they are used to a snug fit. If the fit is right, you will feel a continuous and even pressure spread across the headband and evenly all around the pad, maybe a little extra at the bottom. If the rods are too short you may sense a “gap” under the ear.

A nifty trick some users taught us: rotate the pad to tilt it “back” about 10 degrees, it may close a potential air gap around the jaw.

If you have thick framed or “away from the face” glasses, take them off and check to see if the bass is there. If so, try wearing your glasses with the frame “under” the pad just above your ear.

Bass is always a tricky subject for headphone fans. We’ve voiced these to be audiophile headphones; the bass is there when called for by the recording. If you want +12dB of bass to dislodge your fillings, this is not the right headphone. If you want to hear the full spectrum of bass as it was recorded and in proper balance with the rest of the audio spectrum, we think you’ll really enjoy these.

For subtle adjustments to the bass, there is also the “Vary-Bass” tuning, discussed in a subsequent section.

CHANGING PADS

The Alpha Dog has an easy to use “twist on” system for the ear pads, no tools, discs, etc needed. A video is posted on YouTube under “MrSpeakers Alpha Dog pad replacement.”

Gently pull on the ear pad’s “skirt” to stretch it. Just a little.

Place the pad on the phone, and thread the skirt under the angled edge of the cutout on the headphone baffle.

When rotating the pad always hold the cup. Do NOT hold the headphone by the riser or band. You will almost certainly BREAK the assembly that attaches the riser to the cup.

Gently twist the pad counter-clockwise, making sure to keep the pad centered over the cup.

Rotate the pad smoothly and gently until it’s entirely on.

Should the pad “stick” close to the end, reverse the direction of rotation a bit, and then try again.

CARE AND FEEDING YOUR DOGS

Use the main surface of the included microfiber cloth to gently wipe marks off the phone. Do not use the edges, seams are more abrasive than fabric. The finish is auto-paint, so Windex and other strong cleaners should not be used. Just gently breath on the phone and wipe off most dirt and smudges.

If you want to polish or clean the phones be careful to use plastic-safe auto paint products and remove the ear pads first to avoid getting cleaning materials on the leather.

Use “skin safe” leather conditioning products to keep the lamb-leather pads feeling like lamb leather. Shoe stores are often a good source for skin-safe leather care.

ADJUSTING BASS ON YOUR DOGS

The Alpha Dog has “Vary-Bass,” which is an adjustable valve in the cup wall to allows tuning of bass response. This is intended for manufacturing, but a hobbyist may use the valve to increase the bass output. Small adjustments may increase low output, but be aware that opening the valve more than 1.5 turns past factory settings may cause a sag in upper bass output.

ADJUSTING THE BASS VOIDS WARRANTY ON THE VENT ADJUSTMENT AND TUNING OF THE HEADPHONE. THE OWNER ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE TO THE HEADPHONE. MRSPEAKERS WILL CHARGE TO REPAIR ANY DAMAGE OR TO RE-TUNE THE HEADPHONE.

Ok, so now that we know you are a risk taking audio lunatic, and our lawyers are happy, here is how you use this feature, and what to expect.

Insert the included hex key into the hole in the cup.

Note the position of the wrench head. To increase bass, turn the screw 1/2 turn counter-clockwise. Repeat for the other channel. Don’t try large adjustments.

Listen. If you still want more bass, repeat, using 1/2 turn increments until the voicing is right.

If there is too much bass return in 1/2 turn increments to the bass level you desire, or simply to the factory setting

If the valve is fully open (no visible screw) stop adjustment. You can’t increase bass at this point, and in fact you’ve gone too far

CRITICAL CAVEATS

NEVER back the screw out of the hole. If you do you will damage the paint. If you can’t see the screw in the cup’s vent stop unscrewing immediately

NEVER drive the screw into the phonepast the point where the vent is fully closed (the hole is entirely filled by the screw). Doing so may cause damage to the cup or to the tuning system. If the vent on the cup is fully closed stop driving the screw immediately

Changed the Gain settings yesterday on my amp and... BOOOOM!! Mids were instantly even more clearer and sound opened up a bit. I was reading regarding sound stage these past few posts and I do believe it could easily battle with the HD600s (from memory). I still do prefer instrument separation from the Shure SRH1840 though, but the Alpha Dogs are NOT that far away.

This is the second day using the ADs at work (FiiO X3 --> Schiit Magni). They perform very well and I have to say that even though I kind of miss the "warmth" of the Mad Dogs, the AD's clearer presentation is just as enjoyable!

Originally Posted by gelocks
I think the AD's love power even more than the Mad Dogs!

Changed the Gain settings yesterday on my amp and... BOOOOM!! Mids were instantly even more clearer and sound opened up a bit. I was reading regarding sound stage these past few posts and I do believe it could easily battle with the HD600s (from memory). I still do prefer instrument separation from the Shure SRH1840 though, but the Alpha Dogs are NOT that far away.

I used the SRH1840 for an extended period of time, and my educated guess is that the outstanding imaging precision of those, is due to the very solid headband and yoke. That solidity is partially due to a lack of pivot points (or indeed, the lack of pivot points was in order to improve the imaging).

The T50RP (and thus the Mad Dogs and Alpha Dogs) have an omnidirectional pivot right at the earcup. The solidity is thus due to the clamping force that prevents the pivot from moving. Of course, any bass notes create force in opposition to the clamping force, and cause the earcups to move slightly, blurring the imaging. The SRH1840 avoids this problem by having a less than great bass response .

I used the SRH1840 for an extended period of time, and my educated guess is that the outstanding imaging precision of those, is due to the very solid headband and yoke. That solidity is partially due to a lack of pivot points (or indeed, the lack of pivot points was in order to improve the imaging).

The T50RP (and thus the Mad Dogs and Alpha Dogs) have an omnidirectional pivot right at the earcup. The solidity is thus due to the clamping force that prevents the pivot from moving. Of course, any bass notes create force in opposition to the clamping force, and cause the earcups to move slightly, blurring the imaging. The SRH1840 avoids this problem by having a less than great bass response .

Oh... so that is how imaging works. It all has to do with the headband/yoke and how solid it is...